"It's… tiny."
Alexander had expected the terrifying creature he had fought to reform wholly. Instead, the shadows that had come out of the ground took on the same dragon-like shape, but now it was only about the size of a kitten. Far from the ferocious form it had possessed before.
Nevertheless, he kept a warry eye on it. Perhaps this was some sort of trick it was employing to get his guard down.
'I'm barely able to even keep up right in my current state. If it comes at me, I'll only be able to get in a single strike before losing balance.'
Alexander knew that any resistance on his part would likely be futile, but he had decided to keep on living until the end. If he was going to die here, he would do so spitefully.
Soon, the tiny shadow creature flew towards him. Though, it was not moving anywhere near as quickly as before.
This led Alexander to believe that his earlier attack had succeeded in weakening whatever this thing was, and that he could finish it off now with a well-placed attack.
Once it was in range, he pushed down on his sword that he was using as a crutch and swung with all the might his weakened body could muster.
Everything appeared to be going well, his sword's trajectory was on track to slice right through the center of the monster. Yet, at the last moment, it suddenly jerked backwards and avoided the blow.
His footing unstable on only one leg, Alexander felt himself turning to the side too quickly, and he was unable to stay standing just as he had expected.
The next moment, he felt himself hit the floor hard, and a pain shot up his tailbone.
'I guess this is it.'
Alexander could only helplessly watch as the tiny, shadowy dragon flew up to him and clamped its jaws around his throat. Surely, even with its small size, and attack to such a weak point would spell the end for him.
Excpet, as he waited for the intense pain followed by death, nothing happened.
There was a slight pressure on his neck like someone had lightly grabbed him, but it did not feel like even the top layer of his skin had been punctured.
Almost reflexively, he swatted the creature away with his hand as if it was an annoying bug.
'Its jaws were incredibly powerful before, but now it can't even keep its grip on me after being lightly shoved away.' Alexander observed.
All of the tension he was feeling left him at once. He was not sure if this was exactly the same creature that had attacked him before, but even if it was, there was no doubt that it could no longer harm him.
After being shoved away, the kitten sized shadow creature buzzed around and spit inky blobs of dark mist at Alexander.
When they reached him, he felt a slight itchy feeling, but they dispersed nearly immediately. It seemed that this was the best attack the diminished monster had at its disposable.
"Okay, you're just annoying me now. I'm getting out of this place, so just leave me alone. You can't hurt me anyway."
Alexander did not bother attacking the shadowy dragon again. It would just be a waste of energy to chase it around.
Clearly, the monster was expressing its anger towards him, but he could not care less. All that was on his mind was escaping the hellish castle he regretted wandering into.
"And how is it you plan to leave while missing a leg? The thick scent of blood all over you will attract the ghasts like moths to a flame. You'll be dead within minutes of leaving my territory."
Upon hearing the sudden deep and ancient voice, Alexander stopped in his tracks and turned towards the creature.
It had ceased flying around him and was now hovering just out of reach of his sword.
"You just spoke, didn't you?" Alexander asked, wanting to confirm his suspicion.
The voice had sounded real, but he could not discount the possibility that he was simply hearing things. His current state was far from the best after all.
However, he did not receive any definitive response from the shadow. Instead, it just spit another ball of black mist at him.
"Yeah, it must have just been in my head. My inner thoughts becoming more pronounced."
He had been thinking something along the lines of what the voice had said. The ghasts did not come to this area because of the entity that resided here, but once he left the area, undoubtably they would be back on him quickly. Ans with the lower part of his left leg missing, he would have no chance of running away like he did before.
"No, I did address you, human. You won't be long for this world if you leave."
This time, Alexander was certain that it had just talked, and he glared towards the shadowy dragon.
"Okay, out with it! What do you want?!" Alexander said, fury in his eyes. "You failed to kill me, so now all you can do is try to mess with me. Don't bother, I'm leaving. I'd rather end up ghast food than converse with whatever you are."
Alexander began to storm off, but stopped in his tracks when the creature flew in front of him.
"You asked what I want, correct? Well, I've gotten out my frustration against now, so I'll tell you. I want to strike a deal. One that will be beneficial to both of us."
"As if I would believe you! Only a couple of minutes ago, you were trying to kill me!" Alexander yelled, before continuing to hobble towards the exit.
"That was then, and this is now. My form was destroyed by your attack, and you've lost your leg. If you leave, you will die, and I will still be stuck here in this miserable state. However, if we work together, both of us can get what we desire. I can tell that you are determined to survive. Surely, there are things you wish to live for."
Chapter 9 The Shadow's Offer